KEN DYDA for RPV CITY COUNCIL 2013

By Kenneth John "Ken" Dyda

mY POSITION ON THE 17 ISSUES I HAVE IDENTIFIED

I am one of the founders of the city. I was privileged to be elected to the first city Council in 1973 and served three terms and a term as Mayor. Since that time I have been involved in a number of committees and commissions including the current Redevelopment Agency Oversight Board. I have also attended almost every Council meeting in order to keep abreast of the city's activities. I bring to the city not only its history and my experience but the knowledge of the city's activities and progress up to and including this year. With this background I have noticed a slow migration away from the basic founding principles of the city. As such, there are a number of improvements I wish to achieve.

My position on some of the important issues facing the city.

1. CRIME: Although the crime in our city is much less than in other parts of LA County it is still a legitimate concern. We should establish contractually, with the Sheriff's Department, the performance levels and response times for law enforcement, traffic control and burglary apprehension.

2. TRANSPARENCY: The staff and city Council boast about transparency in our city. However, it is very difficult to navigate through all the places necessary to find information especially when some of the data is not on the city's web site... We should consolidate this data, by subject, so that it is readily available to the residents all in one location for each subject.

3. PENSIONS; In view of the potential pension crisis, the city has established a second-tier public employees retirement system which is nothing more than a variation on a theme. We should explore pension programs, comparable to those in other cities and the private sector, that are more sustainable. They can be managed for the city at a more reasonable cost than creating a separate city department.

4. RESIDENT INPUT: The current process of establishing city committees, in some cases, has a chilling effect on participation. For projects within the city, workshops are established after plans are prepared by consultants. It would be more productive and sensitive by having a focus group define the nature and scope of the project desired by the affected residents. We should encourage a greater use of focus groups prior to committing to a design.

5. COUNCIL AUTHORITY: We must not confuse diligent oversight with micromanagement and therefore not exercise appropriate oversight. We should re-establish Council authority over projects, budgets and staff direction.

6. FINANCES: The city has significant financial obligations looming in the not-too-distant future. These include completion of the storm drain projects and the Portuguese Bend Slide, among others. We should not be lulled into complacency because we currently seem to have excellent financial reserves.

7. PERMIT FEES: In too many cases, unnecessary requirements result in costs and fees that exceed the project cost. We should restructure the permit process.

8. GRANTS: Staff time and money are being wasted in preparing grant applications that do not have Council approval for identified projects. We should have grants and their requirements identified to the Council for approval prior to their preparation.

9. CONTRACT AUTHORITY: Staff should not have the authority, as it did in a recent example, to alter the terms of the contract. We should reserve that decision for the Council.

10. GOALS: Goals should not be just a wish list. We should insist that each goal should have a defined end product, a schedule, and an appropriate budget. Without these criteria, how do you determine that a goal has been achieved?

11. CONSULTANTS: It seems, for almost every activity, the city retains consultants. In many cases, people on our staff have equal or greater experience, knowledge and better awareness of the nature and goals of our city than that of the consultants. We should take better advantage of staff capabilities.

12. PUBLIC HEARINGS: There are two elements involved in public hearings that can improve public input. First: Since, in many cases, it is difficult to make several points within the three minute limit. We should make available a process for groups, where each point can be presented by different individuals in an order that will provide continuity for the subject. Second: Presently, an appeal before the Council covers the entire application even those findings that are not contested... We should treat each of the planning commission's findings voted on as separate items. Then the appeal can be limited to one item and a de novo hearing can be held on that item. This reduces paperwork, time and cost as well as eliminates hearing items where there is no controversy.

13. PORTUGUESE BEND SLIDE: We have known for some time that the primary cause was water infiltrating and percolating down to the bentonite layer allowing the land above to move ocean ward. That movement contributes to another cause which is erosion at the shore. This reduces the buttressing affect at the shoreline. Dewatering wells were installed, some of which have failed when installed in the active slide. The land movement has required an expenditure of up to $500,000 per year, for repair and maintenance of the road just to make it passable. In addition, every 2 to 4 years, relocation of the road bed requires an expenditure anywhere from $1-$4 million. The cumulative expenditures to date have been an enormous strain on the city's finances. We should begin an incremental long-range process to achieve a degree of control over the slide much as has been done in both Abalone Cove and Klondike Canyon.

14. OUTSIDE MEMBERSHIPS: The city continues to join organizations that do not benefit the city or they have the authority to set policies without city Council review and approval. We should insist on a clear benefit to our residents before joining or ratifying a group or organization.

15. ISSUES OUTSIDE THE CITY'S JURISDICTION: The city cannot be complacent with issues that have a significant effect on our residents, even though they don't fall within the city's boundaries. Two such issues are the Ponta Vista development along Western Avenue and the LPG storage tanks on Gaffey. We should continue to urge the City of Los Angeles to take all the necessary steps in reducing the excessive impact of the Ponta Vista development. We should also include the County of Los Angeles and the Federal Government in urging them to eliminate the identified hazard of the LPG tanks.

These will not be the only issues that will come before the Council in the next four years. As you can see from the brief description of my position on the issues above, you can be sure that I will use the same thoughtful approach, for the welfare of the residents of our city, on future issues as they arise. More detail is available on my web site KENDYDA.COM.

I sincerely hope you find this approach to my election campaign to be refreshing. My commitment to the city, from its inception and continuing into the future, is obvious. I bring a level of historical background, experience and a commitment to resident input just as I did on the original Council.

You can endorse my candidacy by giving me your vote in the coming election, November 5, 2013, and urge your friends and neighbors to do the same. I believe the city belongs to you, the resident, not to the city Council or the city staff.